Smart Injector Pen Collects Drug Administration Data Posted in Pumps by Thomas Klein on March 3, 2015

A French healthcare company won an award at the recent Pharmapack Europe Conference for its reusable injector pen connected to a smartphone application.

Bernard Banga MD Report, France

Source: Biocorp

“With our twenty years' experience of plastic design and over forty international patents, we're developing innovative medical devices to improve drug preparation, packaging and administration,” explained Jacques Gardette, Biocorp's CEO and founder, on receiving second prize in the 'exhibitor innovation' category of the Pharmapack Awards. His company specializes in stopper systems for vials and cartdriges as well as reconstitution systems. It has recently diversified into designing smart injections systems, connected medical devices for managing chronic illnesses such as diabetes by acquiring a software company.

This injector pen is based on 2 patents and required 3 years of R&D. The motorized injection device operates at different injection speeds. It is compatible with standard cartridges (ISO 13926 1-2) for injecting various drugs such as insulin or growth hormone. Its customized injection preferences and sight/sound indicators during injection mean patients can inject themselves in comfort and safety. Biocorp drew on its software expertise (seven computer engineers) to connect this injector pen to smartphone and web applications. The DataPen thus uses Bluetooth 4.0 to collect treatment administration data onto smartphones or tablets, especially injection history and doses injected. Patients can monitor their treatment in real time, understand it better and hence become more responsible. “The medical profession can access patients’ data, check how their treatment is going and adapt its recommendations,” continues Gardette. All patient treatment data is encrypted and stored in a specialized database, which guarantees its security.

This technology whose concept was validated by Clermont-Ferrand Teaching Hospital’s endocrinology department, is suitable for many chronic pathologies: multiple sclerosis, growth hormone deficiency, etc. “These are all indications for which the DataPen will improve patients’ adherence to their drug treatment,” adds Gardette. His Auvergne-based medtech company is looking for pharmaceutical partners so it can continue to develop specific technical features on its prototype, which is already operational. The DataPen is on track for receiving CE marking in 2016 depending on customization programs of its partners. “We fall

into the connected drug self-administration market, which is responding to a major issue for pharmaceutical laboratories and healthcare payers,” says Eric Dessertenne, Biocorp's head of business development and commercial operations. According to Capgemini Consulting, pharmaceutical revenue loss due to medication non-adherence is an estimated 11.4 billion dollars for antidiabetic drugs, 6.2 billion dollars for autoimmune diseases, and over 1 billion dollars for multiple sclerosis. IMS Health (3) estimates that avoidable costs for the USA’s healthcare system due to non-adherence stand at 105 billion dollars. This is a promising market.